Pridopidine (4-[3-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl]-1-propyl-piperidine, ACR16, Huntexil) is a drug under development from a new class of pharmaceutical agents, the dopidines, which are considered to have dopaminergic stabilizing properties (U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2014/0378508). Dopaminergic stabilizers are compounds that can both enhance and counteract dopamine dependent functions in the central nervous system (CNS), depending on the initial level of dopaminergic activity (U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2014/0378508). Dopaminergic stabilizers suppress the hyperactive behavior induced by stimulants such as amphetamine. In contrast, at low levels of dopamine function, the dopamine stabilizers enhance behavioral activity (U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2014/0378508). The primary effect of pridopidine on HD-related motor symptoms is therefore expected to occur via the dopamine transmissions modulating properties of pridopidine (Ponten 2010). Processes of synthesis of pridopidine and a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,923,459. U.S. Pat. No. 6,903,120 claims pridopidine for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, dyskinesias, dystonias, Tourette's disease, iatrogenic and non-iatrogenic psychoses and hallucinoses, mood and anxiety disorders, sleep disorder, autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, Huntington's disease, age-related cognitive impairment, and disorders related to alcohol abuse and narcotic substance abuse.
Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. AD accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases (www.alz.org).
AD is characterized by the loss of synapses and neurons from the brain, and by the accumulation of extracellular protein-containing deposits (referred to as ‘senile plaques’) and neurofibrillary tangles (Selkoe et al. 2001)
The most common early symptom of AD is difficulty remembering newly learned information. As AD advances it leads to increasingly severe symptoms, including disorientation, mood and behavior changes, as well as difficulty speaking, swallowing and walking.
Currently, there is no cure for AD. New effective therapies for AD are needed.